Anyone know anything about the Bronze Service Star that combat Vets have on their Vietnam Service Medal? My DD-214 say W-1 Bronze Service Star. Which is what I thought I should have. A guy told me today for each 6 months in a combat zone a Broze Service Star should be awarded. Does anyone know what the deal is with that? Should I have 1 or 2 Bronze Service Stars for spending a full year in Vietnam in the infantry?

my 214 has vietnam service medal with two bronze service stars. i was there for a year. i am attempting to get my 214 corrected, because i was awarded an army commendation medal, and it was left off my 214. everything else is there, just not the arcom.

The bronze star on the Vietnam service medal (red and yellow stripes) means one additional award of the campaign (service) medal. The silver star on the ribbon would mean 5 additional awards. It has to do with the number of capaigns you were in, not the peroid of time you were there. You will get an overseas bar ( worn on you green uniform right sleeve) for every 6 months in a combat zone. See the attached picture of this old man.

Thanks guys,So if I'm reading this correctly, Harold received the VSM and was on two additional campaigns. In that one year. Total of 3 campaigns. I on the other hand received the VSM which was one campaign and the one bronze star means 1 additional campaign. Totol of 2 campaigns. In my one year. Hope I got it right. By the way Saint, I never knew that about the overseas bars. In the photo I'm seeing 8 of those bars on your sleave. Makes me think I'm looking at a really really Lucky guy or possibly a really smart soldier. Hey, maybe both. Thank you!

Fred, yes that is correct on your understanding. Yes I have 9 overseas bars on my sleeve on the uniform also I have a silver star on my campaign ribbon meaning 6 campaigns.I spent 5 years in Nam from 1965 to 1970 also 2 times tdy in 62 and 63. Lot of fun.

If one wants to know about the Vietnam Service Medal and the campaign stars, type in Vietnam Service Medal into whatever search engine you use and click on the wikipedia site. There you will find an explanation of the medal and all the campaigns that a star would represent. You get a star for each campaign that took place while your were in country and your unit participated in. For the campaigns that the 1st and 2nd Battalions participated in, type in 2nd Infantry Regiment and click on the wikipedia site for the regiment. There you will find a pretty extensive history, lineage and honors for the regiment. The information there is very accurate because I put it on the site.

I would like to say first ,To all the BRO BROTHERS and SISTERS HAPPY NEW YR. On my VSM. I have 4 BSS . I was with the 1/5 ARTY 67 DEC-68 A BTRY. 105 Howitzer. I too also thought that the BSS wear for the campaigns that we fought in. I also have a ACM with a V Device signed by MG Keith Wear. I shook his hand at loc Ninh just before He was shot Down on Sept 13, 1968. He was a great man and leader of a Great DIV. THE BRO. I have nothing but the greatest respect for the RAMRODS.

Levi, I was there that fateful day, Sept. 13,1968, that our Div. Cmdr.Maj. Gen. Keith Lincoln Ware was shot down just as he was coming into our NDP site, he was a great Commander and very guttsy in his fight for his men, one of our great hero's who will never be forgotten! Welcome Home Brother! Mike Ogden 1/2 HHC Recon Plt. Black Scarf Battalion June'68'-Feb.'69'

Thanks again guys!Mike I've read some about Maj. Gen. Keith Ware. A great leader I am sure. My question is, "Where are the great leaders now?" There are none to be found. Absolutely none on the horizon. Is it my imagination or is our country being sold out not only by the greedy weasel bankers and CEO corporate type SOB but also the folks in Washington that are suppose to be covering our backs. We need to take our country back somehow or we might as well give up our Second Amendment rights now and suck up to the all the Loony Tune left wingers and take our guns on in and hand them over. I know you guys don't like getting too political on this site but there are some words that set me off. Like commander or leader. We are like a ship with no rudder. I can see it, so I know our enemies see it also.

Fred, They are not at the VA either. IMPORTANT!!!! As it stands now, if you are at a VA, for legitimate purposes, and a known to be dangerous patient, with custodial care attendant escort, thru their negligence, breaks away from their physical custody, and attacks and injures you, the VA will accept NO RESPONSIBILITY for disability and compensation. This happened to me. My injuries are post Traumatic in nature, lower back and C3 of neck, osteo arthritis. I need new hips. I cannort walk nor stand any length of time. When I do walk, I am hunched over. I am in constant pain. This is because the injury occur during a procedure or treatment.

I now feel that during all future visits to any VA facility, I shall have the need to hire a paid body guard. Don't forget, the VA has disallowed the possession of otherwise legal tools or weapons of self defense, thereby accepting tho onus of a "Higher standard" of protection by VA personnel, due its patients and other on-property vets.

This is according to a recent BVA decision on my 1151 claim.

I will be glad to delve into this later, but for now, BE FOREWARNED!!!

MG Ware - what can you say about a draftee who works his way up to general and wins the MOH along the way?

I remember we had a contact on 3 Jul 68, afterward a pair of helicopters that were cowboying around collided. Soon all sorts of brass were on the ground including Danger 6 and his dog. I forget it's name, but MG Ware said the dog rejected by the canine corps for a lack of aggressiveness, was like him, a lover not a fighter. Well he was loved by his troops and a hell of a fighter too.

I also heard, don't know if it's true, that MG Ware had landed at one contact and stayed at the still hot engagement while he odered his chopper to assist with med-evacs.

Gen. Ware not only used his huey for medivacs but he also had been known to get involved while his men were heavy in a firefight by droping grenades on the enemy below from his huey, what a very heroic he is!!! mike ogden 1/2 HHC Recon Patrol BRO

I Guess I will never understand this medal stuff. Either I was a lousy soldier or I never did anything. Hmmm.....come to think of it, maybe I do understand this medal stuff. (heh)Anyway, what's on my official documents 1 are an arcom with a cluster, a national defense medal, a vietnam service medal and a campaign medal with a device (whatever that means). No overseas bars or anything like that. Maybe 155 arty like us (we weren't associated with a specific battalion or regiment but tied in one level up) weren't considered a part of some campaigns? I was with the 8/6 from January of 69 through about January or February of 70 when I transferred to the 11thACR for about three months.Funny thing about those official army records. Some of you may remember Pete and me bantering back and forth about him running a roto-rooter through my ears back at Charlie med. No record of that. Also no record of them taking skin samples while I was up on Thunder road (found out many years later it was Lichen Planus, which still flares up once in awhile) or the fact I had dysentary so bad I lost about 30 pounds - and for a skinny little dude like me, that was a big loss! I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles.

O.O.O. The Campaign Stars (Actual name of these things that go on your Viet Nam Service Medal (Ribbon" are strictly determined by the dates you served in country. There were 17 officially named campaigns thru the whole war. Check the page mentioned in an above post, or get hold of Shelby Stanton's "Viet Nam Order of Battle" If you were in country for any part of a named campaign, you can wear a star for it. It is really luck of the draw. You have to get the stars on the local economy. Your local army recruiters usually have access, PX or otherwise.

The "Device" on the campaign ribbon is that little silver thing with 60- on it. Came with the ribbon. In my 15 months there, they named five campaigns.25 May 69 thru 21 Aug 70

Hey, saint - doing great. I hear your planning on taking a trip across the big pond. Gonna meet with that guy in Italy who wears a beanie, right ?

I guess I'll have to pass on the overseas bars - They would probably hurt like hell if I sewed them on my wrist. I usually wear short sleeved shirts, you know.

I guess I could put 4 of those stars on the VSM, but probably won't. No one would ever see them except me, and I can pretend they're there a lot easier than going out and buying the things. Anyway, that's how I have it figured.

trips i don't know what your bitchin about i don't get no stars or bars but what i should have got for the roto rooter work i'll testify too in any court of what ever!! what i should have got for just that thought would blow your mind!!!!

Hell bells, Pete, I don't have to buy any stars - I've been seeing the things ever since you operated on me I picked up a piece of shrapnel in my left arm one night. Never did see a medic or get treated for it, so no PH I guess. I was kind of busy at the time, though, so that doesn't really bother me. It must have been pretty hot because when I pulled it out the skin around it just kind of sealed itself and left a little hole there. When my kids were little I used to entertain all of their friends by taking a needle and stick it down that hole. I could run it in about an inch or so and walk around with this needle sticking out of my arm. Boy, did they think that was cool! Eventually it grew shut and now it just looks like an inverted freckle.That was the night I got my helmet shot off of my head, but that's another story.

OOO, yes We are planning the trip across the pond to see the old country for a while and meet up with some family on my wife side, also see the Pope in Rome.

I just got my tickets for the spring training games here in Florida. Baseball season is coming soon.

GO! Marlins. Hooaahh.

Like you say you don't need any stars, you are a general anyway brother---and be careful with that Iowa Kid--he will sneak behind you like he did to Obe, at the reunion at St Louis, look at those pictures--He!He! lol.

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